Oosterdam in Antarctica

[cruisn71]

Earlier in 2022 there was some discussion about the Oosterdam and how far south it would go during its Antarctica voyages.  Currently onboard and we will get close to 65deg south.  This is the last of 4 days in Antarctica.  

[bizeesheri]

Oh that is very good to know!  I'm on the Feb cruise.  

[ShipWalker]

Be sure to bring sunglasses. When the sun is out (as it has been off and on) you will need them.

[All Aboard Al]

thank you for sharing the comforting news.  There is nothing stopping us now.   Everyone be extra safe for the next 9 days and pass your covid test.

[I like vacation]

30 minutes ago, All Aboard Al said:

  There is nothing stopping us now.   Everyone be extra safe for the next 9 days and pass your covid test.

That's the plan.  Can't wait to board the Oosterdam on the 10th for our next adventure.

[Boatman91]

We are on the next cruise leaving from Santiago. Getting very excited.  I have been waiting on this one for several years now due to CoVid.

Now that it is becoming a reality, the wife is wanting to know what to pack. As you all know, the contrasts in temperatures are significant. What do people wear during the many sea days, especially around the Antarctic.  

[ShipWalker]

As the interior of the ship is temperature controlled I am typically in a T shirt and jeans. Some folks dressed as though they are on an Antarctic expedition. Typical dress inside appears like any other cruise.

 

Outside temps have been between 34-42 degrees. Sun/overcast/even a few token snowflakes. During the 4 day Antarctic Experience we were putzing around at a slow speed so not too much wind chill.

 

For the short times I was out on the bow or the deck 7 bow walkway I have a wool cap, flannel shirt, windbreaker and gloves on.

Of course conditions are subject to change for your cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Boatman91]

We are on the next cruise leaving from Santiago. Getting very excited.  I have been waiting on this one for several years now due to CoVid.

Now that it is becoming a reality, the wife is wanting to know what to pack. As you all know, the contrasts in temperatures are significant. What do people wear during the many sea days, especially around the Antarctic.  

[Boatman91]

Thanks for the insight. Hope the sea's are not too rough as you cross Drakes Passage. Was Antarctica what you expected? 

[ShipWalker]

Heading northwest to SA now. Sky is clear. Sea is rough. The Lido pool is like something from a wild waves water park. Both kids and adults in it are having a great time!

 

Antarctica is much more than I expected!

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by ShipWalker

[cruisn71]

On the clothing front, if you plan on spending a lot of time out on deck, warm clothes are helpful.  It may or may not be windy.  There are lots of great view points inside, but the windows get significantly dirty and interfere with photography.

 

I think Antarctica exceed my expectations.   Beautiful scenery everywhere.  We saw a lot of whales, penguins and other sea birds.  If you have a camera with an interchangeable lens, bring the biggest zoom you can.  I wish I had more lens with me.

[focusedcruiser]

1 hour ago, cruisn71 said:

On the clothing front, if you plan on spending a lot of time out on deck, warm clothes are helpful.  It may or may not be windy.  There are lots of great view points inside, but the windows get significantly dirty and interfere with photography.

 

I think Antarctica exceed my expectations.   Beautiful scenery everywhere.  We saw a lot of whales, penguins and other sea birds.  If you have a camera with an interchangeable lens, bring the biggest zoom you can.  I wish I had more lens with me.

Crusin71, We our on the Next Cruise leaving out of SA. Than k you for sharing the info about the lenses. How have your seas been? Where you able to get into the Falkland Islands?

We are so excited and thank you for any insight you might share of your trip so far.

[cruisn71]

2 hours ago, focusedcruiser said:

Crusin71, We our on the Next Cruise leaving out of SA. Than k you for sharing the info about the lenses. How have your seas been? Where you able to get into the Falkland Islands?

We are so excited and thank you for any insight you might share of your trip so far.

The seas are a bit rough right now.  The ship creaks a lot.  Winds are strong and in the Beaufort scale of 6 to 8.

 

We missed Port Stanley.  The winds were too high for tendering and a low pressure system was coming in and promised to make it worse.

 

Overall this has been a great trip.  Antarctica is simply stunning in its beauty.  I often stayed on the Seaview deck on 9 for taking pictures.  The bow can get a bit crowded and the captain wheels the ship around at anything important.  The trickiest thing has been trying to plan.  Where the ship can get to and when changes frequently due to the ice conditions.  Gets a little hard to know when you need to be  up or on deck.  Lots of photo opportunities.

[kansas2018]

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Thanks for this refreshing review. We consider ourselves so lucky to be among the few who will get to experience the beauty of Antarctica. The excitement just keeps mounting cannot wait for Jan 11 to arrive.

[Eleanorwg]

We'll be on board taking this journey on Feb 2.  I have an unusual but  simple request, we are interested in which board games the ship has in its library area.   As we would rather not bring duplicates from home.  Love that you gave us good clothing suggestions and camera suggestions!  Have a safe and memorable journey!

[Eleanorwg]

On 1/2/2023 at 9:17 AM, ShipWalker said:

Heading northwest to SA now. Sky is clear. Sea is rough. The Lido pool is like something from a wild waves water park. Both kids and adults in it are having a great time!

 

Antarctica is much more than I expected!

 

 

Could you tell us about entertainment and lectures on board??

 

[kangforpres]

Drakes passage has been very harsh to cruise ships this year, how was your passage?

[ShipWalker]

2 hours ago, Eleanorwg said:

Could you tell us about entertainment and lectures on board??

 

Lots of lectures and entertainment!

 

MainStage-

Tango dance group from

Buenos Aires.

vocalist Maria Campos.

Evolution: Motown 

Step One Dance Company

Boulez- Argentine singer

pianist Tomono Kaomora

Singer Salvadore Hasard

Tom Simmons

BBC world

Many movies with popcorn, of course.

******

 

duel (not dueling) pianos

Rolling stone lounge band

Argentine tango Four piece band

Lincoln Center quartet

 

lectures- several every day

-today

Beagle Channel

Patagonia- land of wonders

Woman in arts (art appreciation series)

What is the future of Antarctica?

 

other fun stuff

 

Ballroom dance hour 

Argentine Tango lessons

adult coloring

painting class

origami class 

air hockey tournament

foosball tournament

Spanish lessons 1-4

 
No ugly sweater contest. Was told it has to be approved by corporate in Seattle 😭

 

[TiogaCruiser]

Do you have any naturalists onboard?

[cruisn71]

5 hours ago, Eleanorwg said:

We'll be on board taking this journey on Feb 2.  I have an unusual but  simple request, we are interested in which board games the ship has in its library area.   As we would rather not bring duplicates from home.  Love that you gave us good clothing suggestions and camera suggestions!  Have a safe and memorable journey!

They have the following games:

Catan, Risk, Balderdash, clue, monopoly,trivial pursuit, viva Java, Farkle, taboo, yahtzee and maybe Scrabble.

[cruisn71]

8 hours ago, kangforpres said:

Drakes passage has been very harsh to cruise ships this year, how was your passage?

It was somewhat rough.  We had 6 meter swells and winds upto 8 on the Beaufort scale.

[cruisn71]

5 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Do you have any naturalists onboard?

We have three speakers on board.  I haven't paid much attention, but there have been some discussions about the wildlife.

[jeffyd]

Thanks to all on this current cruise for all the great info. We will be on the Jan 11th sailing. Question though, how was the embarkation process? Did anyone go on earlier than their assigned time? They assigned us a 4 PM boarding time but we'd like to get on earlier and wondered how HAL handles that?

[SH55]

I don’t think we can describe our boarding process in BA in any kind of relation to what normal would be. Remember we embarked the day they were doing the World Cup Parade in BA. The city and the port were simply insane.  I suspect that anything that happens in SA will be a welcome blissful experience compared to what we had. LOL 

[Eleanorwg]

On 1/3/2023 at 5:37 PM, cruisn71 said:

They have the following games:

Catan, Risk, Balderdash, clue, monopoly,trivial pursuit, viva Java, Farkle, taboo, yahtzee and maybe Scrabble.

Thank you!!